by Stacy-Deanne
“I’m supposed to see Madeline in a few days.” She tapped the face of her watch. “I shouldn’t be nervous to talk to my agent, but these days it’s like going to the doctor for test results. I’m a wreck.”
“It’ll work out.” He reached up, putting his arm around her waist. “Madeline’s one of the best agents in the industry. She’s gonna make something happen for you.”
“It’s hard not to worry because she hasn’t been as communicative as usual. Kinda feels like she’s avoiding me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He let her go.
“I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.” She moved to the spot beside him. “I should be talking to Hugh.”
“Why aren’t you?”
“He’s not around.” She leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm. “As usual.”
“You coming here had nothing to do with Hugh not being around. You wanted to see me, and you couldn’t help yourself.”
“Remember what you said about missing our friendship? I miss it too. You were the one I could always share my deepest thoughts with, and you always knew the right things to say.”
He smiled.
“I’ve been so depressed and stressed out. Maybe I should give acting up for good.”
“You can’t.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s who you are.”
“But if no one gives me a chance then what’s the point?”
“Stop it.” He shook her. “Stop beating yourself up. The media’s done enough of that. It’s a rough patch right now but it’ll get better.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I believe in you.” He stroked her hair. “I always will.”
“What is it you see in me that no one else does?”
“It’s what you let me see.” He glanced at her neck as if he wanted to kiss it. “You said Hugh wasn’t around. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hm.” He sucked his lip. “Isn’t it strange to not know where your boyfriend is?”
“Is that your business?”
“What’s weird is you don’t even seem bothered that he isn’t around. Sierra, what kind of relationship is this? He runs off half the time and you don’t seem to care.”
“People get into relationships for different reasons, Dash.”
“Loneliness is not a reason to be with someone you don’t love. Look at me.” He laid his foot against the table. “I’m lonely as hell, yet I don’t settle for just anyone.”
“You can afford not to settle. You’re lonely by choice not because people want nothing to do with you. If I didn’t have Hugh, I’d have no one.”
“You’ll always have me.”
“No.” Her breasts heaved as she exhaled. “I keep telling you we’re not going back.”
“Why the hell not?” he shouted. “Why is it better to be with someone you don’t love than with me?”
“Because I don’t love him.” She stood. “That’s the point. I don’t love Hugh the way I loved you. He could never hurt me the way you could.”
“I’m not planning to hurt you.” He got up, huffing. “Damn it, can’t we get past this?”
“Yet, you continue to refuse to do the one thing that could bring us back together. Stop telling me you love me, Dash.”
He walked away, touching his forehead.
“Be a man and do something about it. That’s the difference between you and Hugh. He fights for what he wants. He doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.”
“I’m not Hugh.”
“You got that right.” She nodded fast. “I don’t need any reminders.”
“Is that why you’re with him? Or is it to make me jealous?”
“Both,” she spat. “Is it working?”
“Yeah.” He stood behind the wooden chair embossed in red linen. “It’s killing me.”
“Good. It’s what you get for dragging your feet when we were together. I’m with Hugh because he’s been there for me when I needed him.”
“Like when he gave you a chance to be in his upcoming film?” He snapped his fingers. “Oops, sorry. That didn’t happen, did it?”
“You’re pathetic, Dash.”
“I’m pathetic?” He skated toward her. “As far as the media is concerned you wear that title, honey. Not me.”
She processed the excruciating remark. “Why the hell did I waste my time driving all the way out here?” She stomped up the steps. “There’s a fuckin’ storm coming. I better get my ass back home.”
“Sierra.” He charged her, grabbing her face. “Stop, breaking my heart.” He kissed her, channeling the depths of her deepest desires. “Stop, okay?” He caressed the curve of her back, stopping at the bottom of her dress.
“No.” She gripped his wrists. “Dash.”
“I can’t take this shit much longer.” He French-kissed her. “I gotta have you, Sierra. You want it too.”
“Fuck.” Her nipples turned into darts against her lace bra. “We can’t do this. I can’t go back. I need more, Dash.”
His tongue hit the sensitive spots in her mouth.
“Please, don’t make this harder.”
“I’m the one that’s hard.” He kissed her, jerking her head where he wanted it go. “You didn’t come here just to talk.” His lips migrated to her cleavage.
“Oh.” She ran her fingers through his hair, her body awakening from his powerful touch. “Dash.”
“I know it wasn’t perfect before.” He stood up straight, gripping her thigh. “But, we were happy, Sierra.” He kissed her neck.
“I want to be more than happy.” She sucked his earlobe as he nibbled on her neck. “I want to be real. And, this isn’t—”
“It is,” he mumbled, sucking her skin.
“Our love deserves more than this.” She inched her neck away, but he kept her body in place. “I don’t wanna feel dirty afterwards.”
He lifted his head, squinting. “Dirty?”
She stared at his wet lips, aching to suck the hell out them.
He let her go. “Sierra—”
“As a man...” She laid her shaking hand to her bosom. “You’ll never understand how that is for a woman. To feel used and unimportant and discarded.”
“Unimportant?” He put both palms on her face. “Are you kidding me? You’re my entire world. I’m dying without being able to touch you or kiss you every day.”
“I want to be your woman, Dash.” A tear fell from her eye and onto her lips. “I want to wake up in your arms in the mornings. I want us to go out together, hold hands, and you not be ashamed of me.”
“Look at you. You want me so bad you’re shaking.” He tugged on her waist. “You can’t keep fighting this. You won’t win the battle.”
“If you want me, you got to make a move.” She moved away from him. “How much do you want me?”
“More than I want to live.” He clasped her hand. “More than I need to breathe.”
“Then prove it.” She let go of his hand. “Once and for all.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Right this way, Mr. Phillips.” Ian Delfino’s housekeeper escorted Dash to the private golf course on the south end of Ian’s estate the following day.
The sun beamed upon Ian’s 6’4, stout frame while he stood in a sea of endless green, practicing his golf swing.
“Mr. Delfino?” the housekeeper called out. “Look who stopped by, Sir.”
“Ah, Dash!” Ian waved the club, his tam leaning crooked on his wide, square head. “Nice to see you.”
Dash waved. “You too, Ian.”
“Be with you in a minute.” Ian hit the ball, and it soared through the air, landing on the edge of the green.
The housekeeper flashed a smile. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink, Mr. Phillips?”
“No, thanks. I had a big breakfast.”
“If there’s anything you need then please let me know.” She went inside the double doors of the patio.
Das
h walked onto the pristine grass and stopped beside Ian’s bag of clubs. “How’s it going?”
Ian sighed. “Just got this one.” He twirled the TaylorMade club. “Trying it out for the Palm Springs Charity Tournament in a few weeks.”
“I heard you’d signed on for that.”
“What a better way to spend the weekend than to do something I love and for charity?” Ian’s sausage lips spread into a smile. “Besides, I love visiting Florida.”
“I’ve always admired what you do to give back to the community. Building schools in the inner city, donations to women centers, funding orphanages.” Dash cupped his hand at the wrist. “Then you’re producing hit movies. Where do you find the time?”
“I’ve always been one to keep busy.” Ian hit a ball that landed in the dirt. “Shoot.” He looked at the club.
“Now, I don’t know much about golf.” Dash wagged his finger. “But, that wasn’t good.”
Ian stuffed the club into his bag. “I don’t think I’ll be taking this one with me. I’ll use something more reliable until I break it in.”
They walked to the patio.
“Does a club make much difference?”
“Does it?” Ian got the pitcher of iced lemonade from the aluminum table and poured it into a plastic cup. “A club can make or break a swing.”
“Golf’s not my thing.”
“Interested in learning?” Ian situated himself into a chair with the belly of a woman due to give birth in two months. “It’s very relaxing. When I was your age, I played every day.”
“Meh.” Dash stuck his lips out. “Not for me.”
Ian’s eyes were the same shade of auburn brown as Sierra’s were. “You’re an introvert, Dash? You stay in the house a lot.”
“Let’s say I’m more comfortable on screen than off it.”
“That’s a good way for a man of your fame to be.” Ian took his tam off, specks of white hair scattered across his balding head. “Stay away from the temptations because it only takes one wrong move and you can lose everything. Hollywood isn’t very forgiving.” He tipped his cup toward Dash.
“Keeping to yourself is the best way to be.”
“It’s lonely though.”
“I know. When you’re successful and rich, it’s hard to find people who care for you. But, when you meet those special people you got to hold on tight. Don’t let them go.”
Dash nodded, thinking of Sierra. “What if the people you love don’t let you hold on to them?”
“Have faith.” Ian winked, the sun beaming on his liver spots. “If it’s meant to be then those who care will always be in your life. You’re too young, talented and kind to be alone, Dash.”
“I appreciate that, Sir. It means the world that I’ll be starring in your film.”
“You’re the hottest thing out there.” Ian laughed. “I’d be an idiot not to want you in it. This might be the biggest hit I’ve ever had.” He slapped the thighs of his sky-blue golf pants. “Did you come here to talk about something?”
“I’m just contemplating how to say it.”
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s about the film.” Dash sat up straight. “I respect you, and I’ve always wanted to work with a man of your caliber. One thing I admire about you the most is you are a passionate man and you stick to your guns.”
“What are you getting at, Son?”
“If I’m gonna do the movie—”
“If? You agreed to do the movie.”
“I haven’t signed the contract yet, remember?”
“But, we agreed.” Wrinkles indented Ian’s forehead. “What the hell is going on? Are you pulling out?”
“I want to do this move more than anything, but I have a condition and if it isn’t met, I won’t be able to continue.”
Ian scoffed. “What condition?”
“That your daughter gets a chance to try out for the movie.”
“What?” Ian’s funnel nose twisted. “Where is this coming from?”
“She’s a fascinating actress, and I heard she wanted to try out, but Hugh said you wanted her nowhere near the film.”
“Of course I don’t. That girl’s poison. She ruins everything she touches.”
“That girl is your daughter.”
“That girl is also a screw-up.”
“How can you say that?”
“Sierra’s been a mess ever since she was a child. She can’t stop fucking up. Excuse my language.”
“Isn’t that partly your fault?”
Ian’s fat cheeks expanded. “Excuse me?”
“She’s never felt like she measured up to you. That affects a person, Ian. She’s never gotten over your disapproval of her.”
“And ask me why I don’t approve.” He stuck his neck out. “Because every damn time I gave her a chance to do better, she screws up even more.”
“Your daughter is in pain. Don’t you care?”
“She brought it on herself.” Ian drummed his fingers on the table. “I told her she’d lose everything with all that wildness and drinking, but she thought she was untouchable because she was ‘Sierra Delfino’. Even I can’t get her a job and I have more connections in Hollywood than Spielberg.”
“I’m really worried about her.”
“I thought you and Sierra are just acquaintances.” Ian watched Dash as if he were trying to read him. “Why do you care so much about her being in the movie?”
Dash wiggled in the chair, exhaling. “I’m in love with her.”
Ian gaped. “Say what?”
“Sierra and I were more than friends about a year ago. We were together for some months, and it was the best thing I’d ever experienced.”
“Good Lord.” Ian grimaced. “You and Sierra had a fling? Sounds typical of her.”
“It wasn’t a fling. We love each other, but we agreed to split.”
“Yet, you still have feelings for her.”
“Please keep this between us.”
“I see.” Ian leaned back, squinting. “Don’t want to get the stain of my daughter on your career. Smart move.”
“I hate myself for feeling that way.”
“Sierra made her bed so let her lie in it.”
“How can you turn your back on your daughter?”
“I did everything to ensure she got the best, and she didn’t appreciate not one damn ounce of it. I love my daughter more than anything, but I don’t like the person she is and I never will.”
“She’s not the drunk you’d see on TMZ anymore. She’s clean, and she’s working her ass off for roles to prove to you she’s special.”
“You’re under her spell, Dash.”
“There is no spell.”
“Yes, there is. Now, I can’t blame you for falling for her. She’s gorgeous, stunning like her mother was. But, she’s an emotional sponge, Dash. She’ll suck the life out of you leaving you empty and regretting that you let her get close to you.”
“Lord knows Sierra’s not perfect, but that’s not all her fault.”
“So it’s about me again?”
“Yes.” Dash blew a breath. “How can you not realize that every action she’s done and every decision she’s made stems from her lack of a solid relationship with you?”
“That’s not my fault.”
“It’s not about fault!” Dash gripped the arms of the chair. “It’s about how she feels. She thinks you don’t love her and are ashamed of her.”
Ian fidgeted, as if to hide any sign of emotion.
“You are ashamed of her, aren’t you?”
“I won’t meet your condition. You can love my daughter all you want, but I’ve got a lot tied up into this movie. Everyone expects you to be in it and you said you would be.”
“Without a contract, you can’t hold me.”
“We had a verbal agreement.” Ian slammed the table. “You promised to sign the contract. You’re supposed to do the film!”
“I want Sierra to have a chance, Ian.”
“I don’t believe this.” Ian laid his hand over his eyes. “Don’t do this.”
“Just let her read for it. I’m not saying give her the part. If she doesn’t get it, she doesn’t get it. But, if she blows the audition away then that’s who I want as my leading lady.”
“No.” Ian moved his hands right and left. “I was producing movies before your father knocked your mother up. Who are you to tell me what to do with my movie? You’re gonna be in that movie or I’ll sue.”
“Without a contract?” Dash stood, snickering. “Good luck with that.”
“Dash, you’re big now but if you burn this bridge, your roles are going to shrink.”
“You threatening me?”
“You can’t do this.” Ian grabbed his hand. “We’ve done promotions, and we’ve tinkered the script to your liking. This would be a travesty if you pulled out. We don’t even have a lead actress yet. Please, don’t do this.”
“Give Sierra her shot, and I’m all yours. If you don’t, find yourself another leading man.”
“Dash, wait.” Ian chased him to the doors.
“Goodbye, Ian.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Some good you are.” Gabrielle tore out Hugh’s office with her lawyer Abraham Lacy and stopped at the water fountain. “What the hell am I paying you for?”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t read the contract before you signed it.”
“I read it!” She drank from the fountain. “Lessie and I went through it together and it looked fine.”
“You and Lessie, huh?” He switched his briefcase to his other hand. “See this is why you let your lawyers read your contracts before you sign them. I understand the red tape, you and Lessie don’t.”
“That slick bastard.” Gabrielle watched Hugh in his office, chuckling with his lawyer.
“Yeah.” Abraham sighed. “They have it in the contract you’re obligated to fulfill all duties, including those that benefit partners.”
“Which means I have to be in Hugh’s film or I breach the contract.”
“I’m sorry, Gabby.” He jiggled the briefcase. “This is why it’s imperative you run all your contracts by the firm. We’re here for your best interest. How could you sign a contract without being cautious?”